Meet the Team

  • Kevin Nortness is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and audio engineer active in Seattle's performance arts community since 1993. He studied composition at Cornish and Portland State University, completing his training as an apprentice to composer/pianist Andrew Hill. Kevin's contributions include composing, arranging, instrumental work, and sound engineering for diverse productions, notably a fifteen-year residency with the internationally acclaimed The Degenerate Art Ensemble. He has also worked with the Moisture Festival, UMO Ensemble, and the legendary Balkan punk band Kultur Shock.

    Kevin has received grants as a composer or collaborating composer from The Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Artist Trust, The Poncho Foundation, Meet the Composer, the NEA, the Jack Straw Foundation, and The Nesholm Family Foundation. In 2021, he co-founded the Orbit Afterschool band drop-in club for high school musicians on Vashon Island. Kevin regularly performs, teaches, and records on saxophone, upright bass, clarinet, piano, and trumpet.

  • Whether blasting through the sonic explorations with her alternative chamber orchestra, B’shnorkestra, or leading the 7-piece Seismic Belt, or her quintet, Samantha Boshnack’s compositional voice pulses with vitality. Boshnack moved to Seattle in 2003 after graduating from New York’s Bard College. The subsequent years find her actively bolstering the musical community and creating ensembles, commissions, recordings and performances, both locally and nationally.

    She is a part of the acclaimed composers’ collective Alchemy Sound Project, and was a member of the zany, postmodern Reptet. Boshnack has toured nationally and internationally and has released five albums as a bandleader. In 2018, Boshnack was awarded the annual Make Jazz Fellowship, sponsored by the Herb Alpert Foundation, to honor and support promising, emerging jazz composers.

    Samantha is an alumna of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians and the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute at UCLA. She has received support and commissioning funds from New Music USA, Meet The Composer, Artist Trust, 4Culture, Jack Straw Productions and Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

  • Adam Gross is a respected elementary music educator and musician, who formerly served as a development executive at both On the Boards and the Seattle Symphony. Mr. Gross brings an understanding of non-profit governance to the organization, and with other board members, serves as a link to the educational sector. 

ryangtanaka, Ryan Tanaka

  • Ryan Tanaka is a pianist and composer who lives in Seattle that is known for his style of minimalist piano improvisations and ambient music / soundtrack styles.

    He is also the founder of teia.cafe and a core member of the TEIA community (teia.art), which is a non-profit global digital arts collective that has been in existence since 2021. His handle for most things online is @ryangtanaka, which you find on various social media platforms.

  • Travis Palmer is the current president of the board of Songwriters in Seattle and has been writing songs since he picked up a guitar in 2007. His musical dedication has led him to obtain a master’s degree in piano performance with a focus in jazz and improvisational music.

    He has been a music educator since 2017 and that has led him to many fun musical places in various states. Travis’ true passions are songwriting, music education, and writing music for his current band, Here & Now.

  • Marc is a highly versatile professional with a broad skillset that includes agriculture, small business operations, marketing, and e-commerce, spanning Amazon and Shopify. An accomplished musician and saxophonist, Marc graduated from Berklee College of Music and was a founding member of the legendary 90s Seattle jazz group "Bebop and Destruction." He performed regularly in Seattle for two decades and is a current Conn-Selmer Artist. Marc has recently applied his innovative spirit to the digital realm, curating over 200 global collaborations on the Tezos Blockchain, pushing the boundaries of decentralized art and fostering equity in the Web3 space.

  • Chuck is a multi-instrumentalist and educator, performing on trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba and keyboard all around the Seattle area. Chuck performs all types of music ranging from classical, funk, traditional brass bands and gospel music. When not playing music, Chuck teaches music to all ages and all subjects. Chuck has coached extensively at successful Seattle music programs like Eaglestaff, Whitman, and Ballard. Chuck has earned several awards in chamber groups, winning the NWRTEC chamber music competition in 2015 and 2017, and placing 3rd internationally with his chamber group at ITEC in 2016. Chuck earned his music education degree from University of Oregon, and his Masters in Curriculum and instruction from Eastern Washington University.

Our board is composed of dedicated individuals, all deeply rooted in our local music scene as professional musicians and passionate music educators. They've united with a shared commitment: to harness the power of live music to enrich our culture and strengthen our communities. Each member brings a wealth of experience and a profound love for music, working collaboratively to ensure Sustainable Music continues to resonate positively throughout our area.